Electrical circuit controller



Patented Dec. 26, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT CONTROLLER Claude J. Holslag, South Orange, N. J., assigner to Electric Arc, Inc., Newark, N. J.

9 Claims.

This invention relates to an electrical circuit controller and has for its principal object the provision of means for forcibly acting on certain parts of the controller to insure that the controller parts will be positively actuated to open an electrical circuit which is controlled through the controller apparatus.

Another object of my invention is to provide an arrangement which I term a knock-out device which may be readily applied to various types of current controllers now on the market or may be readily incorporated into a new design.

By Way of illustration but not of limitation, I

have chosen to show my device in connection with a circuit controller such as used in the field of electric arc welding and especially in a system such as disclosed in Holslag Patent 2,277,909, issued March 31, 1942, wherein a controller is used for automatically closing a direct current circuit through a pair of welding electrodes, and then after the arc is started substituting a source of alternating current for the welding operations in place of the direct current.

My improved type of controller apparatus is il lustrated somewhat diagrammatically and perspectively in Figure 1 of the drawing attached hereto, while l Figure 2 shows the application of my improvement toa circuit controller used in an arc welding circuit.

In the drawing' the circuit controller apparatus includes a base I of suitable insulating material, such as slate, on which are mounted a starting coil 2 and a series or holding coil 3. These coils are in the form of solenoids having movable magnetic core members 4 and 5 respectively. The A core member 4 is carried by a movable arm 6, while the core member 5 is carried by a movable arm 1, both arms being of magnetic material pivoted at 8 and 9 respectively to parts of the coil structures. 'Ihe arms 6 and 1 are connected together by a metallic rod' I0 which carries devices I I and I2 which in turn support a bolt I3 passing through the end I 4 cfa contact arm I5, but insulated therefrom by end insulators I6 and a tubular insulator around the bolt I3 but which does not show.

`in the upper end of the arm l5 is pivoted, by the pin IG., a contact shoe I1 having a contact portion IB adapted to engage a stationary, hidden contact 42 (see Figure 2) spaced between the barriers i9 and 20 of suitable insulating material such as Transito Board.

This part of the controller so far described is old and has only been briefly described merely for the purpose of better understanding my improvement thereto which comprises the addition of an electro-magnet coil 2| having a solenoid type of plunger 22 that is adapted to engage an extension 23 fastened in any satisfactory manner to the arm 6 of the coil 2. The function of the coil 2I and arm extension 23 will be clear from a description of the circuit shown in Figure 2, wherein 24 is a feed transformer having three phases a, b and c, star-connected, from which supply leads extend to various Welding stations, only one phase being shown connected up. These connections comprise the leads 25 and 20 across which station Welders are connected, one station 21 being enclosed -in broken lines, while the stations 28 and 29 are only generally indicated.

Connected across the lphase a is a small AC motor generator set consisting of an AC singlephase motor 30 and a DC generator 3l having a shunt field 32 `and rheostat 33. A Welding transformer T is indicated at the station 21 and comprises a primary winding P and main secondary M and auxiliary secondary S with normalizing windings N such as shown in Holslag Patent 1,305,363, the main and auxiliary secondary windings M and S being provided with taps.

The auxiliary secondary S is connected by a wire or cable 34 to the arm I5 and contact I0 which is connected to one side of the coil 2l. The other end of the coil 2l is connected to a contact 35 which is mounted on the base I but is partly hidden by the arm 1. A cooperating contact 30 is actuated by the arm 1, although as Shown diagrammatically, is operated by the rod I 0. Another pair of contacts 31 and 33 are mounted on the base I4 and are actuated by the arm 6 through the medium of a lever 39 carrying an insulator 40. A similar arm 39 and insulator 4.0 are used in connection with the arm 1 for actuating the contacts 35 and 36. The contact 31 is connected by a conductor 4I to one side of the small DC generator 3I, the opposite side of which ls connected to the common or ground return of the weldingcircuit.

A description of the operation of the circuit will make the functioningk ofthe controller as shown in Figure 1 clear. By reference to Figure 2, it will be seen that, normally, the direct current from the generator 3| is connected through the contacts 31 and 38, and the electro-magnet 2, contact 42 and electro-magnet 3, to the mow able welding electr-ode E. When this is touched to the workpiece or ground member G and then withdrawn, an arc is started. Immediately, the

heavy current which passes through the electromagnet 2 and also through the electro-magnet 3 will draw the plungers 4 and 5, and likewise their respective arms S and 1, inwardly and will cause the rod l@ to act on the lever l5 to close the contacts i8 and 132, thereby switching alternating current from the welding transformer T across the welding electrodes. At the same time, the lever 3:1 ill open the contacts 31 and 3B, cutting oi' the direct current. i

Actuation of the rod l0 and the arm 1 closes the contacts 35 and 36, and while some current passes through the electro-magnet 2l this is not enough to energize this magnet because the volttage delivered by the transformer to the electrodes is only on the order of twenty-five or thirty volts. However, if thev are should go out, as happens when the electrode is used up, or the operator stops welding, the voltage across'thel transformer rises to the normal operiV circuit voltage of about eighty, so that somewhere with. in the range of from fifty to eighty volts. is applied to the. electro-magnet 2.I, which, will cause this magnet to act on its plunger 22, causing it to strike a sharp blow on the free end of,` the lever extension 23, which will knoclf open the controller and open the contacts I8 and d2, at the same time restoring. the low voltage DC current to the welding handle andV the workf. piece or ground member G.

While the controller is usually equipped with a spring 43 tol assist in openingI the controller,` I have found in practice that an arc, is s etl up across the contacts I8 and, 4 2 v during the closing operation. This is due tothefactthat when the electrode E is touched,v to the workHG, a substantial short circuitl is put across the welding transformer and averyheavy current flows for a very short interval ofV time, and it is this heavy current ilowing through the contacts I8l and 42 on making they circuit, which tends to pit the contacts and freeze them together so that the spring 43 is n ot enough to open the controller at zero or near zero current.

By the arrangement shown, l have provided a positive knock-out forl the controller'- and have entirely eliminated; any possibility ofv an operator putting an electrode into the welding holder and getting even 80 volts, it being understood that the voltage inl the DC generator 3l is approximately twenty-five o rthirty volts, which is sufficient to easily s tart` an arc.

While I have shown, the coil of I the electro magnet 2l in operative relation to the arm 6, it may be mounted in operative relation to the arm l or a pair ofy knock-out coils may be used, if desired but I have found that one is amply suicient, It will be obvious thatl the type of or construction of the controller per se may vary over a wide range without departing from the principles of. my invention.

What I' claim is:-

1. In an electrical circuit controllerfor a predestined arc welding circuit, apparatus` having means for closing and opening the` circuit, an electro-magnet for actuating at least a part of saidmeans for automaticallyv closing the circuit, another electro-magnet for automaticallyv acting on at least a part of said means for holding the circuit closed, and another electro-magnet automatically brought into action by a substantial raise in voltage, in the circuit acting on said means to forcibly act thereon for opening the circuit controller.

2. In an electrical circuit, controller for a ically operative switch parts for closing the circuit, other electro-magnetically operative switch parts for holding the circuit closed, and further electro-magnetically operative parts for forcibly acting on at least one of the two first mentioned switch parts to move both switch parts to open circuit position at a predetermined time on the automatic rise of the voltage across the electromagnet operating said further electro-magnetically operative parts.

4.` In an electrical circuit controller for a predestined arc welding circuit having electro-magnetically controlled switch parts for automatically closing saidv electrical circuit,4 and an electro-magnetically operative means adapted to act onA said switch parts at a predetermined time, dependent on the automatic but substantial rise of the voltage across the electro-magnet of said electro-magnetically operative means, to forcibly move said switch parts to open circuitposition.

5. In an electrical circuit controller for a predestined are welding circuit having electro-magneticallyA controlled switch parts for automatically closing said electrical circuit, and an electro-magnetically operative means brought into operative condition on thel closing of said circuit and adapted to act on said switch parts when the. current in the electrical circuit, closed by said switch parts, becomes zero or closely thereto, to forcibly move theswitch parts to open circuit position.

6. In an automatic circuit controller for a predestined arc welding circuit having an electro-y magnet for actuating parts for closing main circuit contacts at the controller, switch contacts in. series with said electro-magnet, a second electro-magnet for holding the main circuit contacts closedl while at the same time holding open the contacts in series with the first-.mentioned electro-magnet, and a third electro-magnet, having parts cooperative with means associated with at least the secondV electro-magnet for forcibly opening the said main contacts when the current in the holding coil approaches zero.

7. A circuit controller for a predestined are welding circuit havingmain contacts in the circuit, an electro-magnet to he energized by direct current and operating parts of the controller for closing said main contacts and supplying the direct current to theA circuit, a second electro-magnet. initially energized by the direct current passing through the first-mentioned eleof tro-magnet and directly after the main contacts are closed, then energized by alternating current for holding the main contactsl closed and supplying the alternating current to the circuit in place of the direct current, and a third electro-magnet energized by the alternating current only sufliciently on diminution of the ourrentyin the main circuit to substantially zero t'o forcibly actuate parts ofthe controller to posi tively insure the opening of said main contacts.

8. A circuit controller for use in a system utilizing both direct current and alternating current current and having means for automatically applying the direct current to the circuit and then transferring the alternating current to the circuit, and further means for positively removing the alternating current from the circuit should the current go out, and placing the direct current back into the circuit for the next cycle of operation.

CLAUDE J. HOLSLAG. 

